Ebbsfleet International railway station

Ebbsfleet International railway station is a railway station in Ebbsfleet Valley, in the Borough of Dartford, Kent, 10 miles (16 kilometres) outside the eastern boundary of Greater London, England. It is near Dartford and the Bluewater shopping centre to the west and Gravesend to the east. The station is part of the Thames Gateway urban regeneration, a project of national priority. It stands on the High Speed 1 rail line, around 400 metres (440 yards) south-west of Northfleet railway station and the Stonebridge Road area of Northfleet. The station lies off the A2 trunk road, about 5 mi (8 km) from its junction with the M25 motorway. During the London 2012 Olympics, it served as a primary park-and-rail service as it is very close to the M25 motorway, allowing easy access for over 10 million commuters.

Ebbsfleet International
LocationEbbsfleet Valley, Kent, Borough of Dartford
England
Grid referenceTQ613741
Owned byLondon and Continental Railways
Managed byNetwork Rail
PlatformsInternational - 2

Domestic - 4

6 Total
Other information
Station codeEBD
ClassificationDfT category B
History
Opened19 November 2007
Passengers
2015/16 1.674 million
 Interchange  55,100
2016/17 1.846 million
 Interchange  55,335
2017/18 1.962 million
 Interchange  57,476
2018/19 2.107 million
 Interchange  57,296
2019/20 1.978 million
 Interchange  58,888
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Ebbsfleet International is owned by HS1 Ltd, which acquired a 30-year concession to own and operate the High Speed 1 railway and the stations St Pancras railway station, Stratford International, Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International.

Origin of the name

The name Ebbsfleet is an artificial creation of seventeenth-century antiquaries, partly inspired by the name of Ebbsfleet in Thanet, 75 km (47 mi) to the east.[1]

History

Opening

The station opened to the public on 19 November 2007 for people travelling on Eurostar, later than St Pancras International because the security equipment was transferred from Waterloo International. The station was formally opened to Eurostar and dedicated in a ceremony by Dame Kelly Holmes on 29 January 2008.[2]

Naming

"Ebbsfleet International Station" was the name originally proposed for the station, but "Dartford International Station" was later proposed at the urging of Eurostar, who felt that Dartford was a name with greater national recognition. Opposition to Eurostar's ‘Dartford International’ proposal came from Gravesham Borough Council, whose administrative centre at Gravesend is just two miles (3.2 km) away (even though Ebbsfleet International is in the borough of Dartford and therefore outside Gravesham council's authority); Southfleet Parish Council; and Swanscombe and Greenhithe Town Council, both in the Borough of Dartford.[3] The similarity of its name to that of Dartford railway station, 6 mi (10 km) away, was also of concern.

Javelin Shuttle

The Olympic Javelin[4] or Javelin[5][6] was a high-speed train shuttle service operated by Southeastern over High Speed 1 during the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. The service ran for the duration of both games, between St Pancras International station and this station, via Stratford International station, which is close to the Olympic Park.[7] During the Summer Olympics a service of eight trains an hour ran between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet, calling at Stratford, replacing the usual East Kent highspeed service. Two of these were extended to Ashford and one to Faversham. Between 11pm and 1am the service between St Pancras and Ebbsfleet was increased to twelve per hour.[8]

Eurostar Service Suspension (2020-2022)

On Thursday 3 September 2020, it was announced by Eurostar that due to the ongoing 2019-2020 coronavirus pandemic, sales were down by 90% and thus both Ebbsfleet and Ashford International stations would not see any Eurostar services until at least 2022.[9]

Layout

On High Speed 1 there are avoiding lines in each direction and four platforms, two serving international Eurostar services and two the Southeastern High-speed services. Southeastern services travelling between London and the North Kent Line use a junction to the north of the station and are served by another pair of platforms that curve away to the east.

Ticket barriers control access to all platforms.

A disused bridge can be seen to the south of the station. This is believed to have been put in place in preparation for the Ebbsfleet Garden City housing development, however, was never needed. [10]

Access and facilities

This station has bilingual signage, both in French and English. It is one of the relatively few stations in England to have bilingual signage, others being Wallsend (Latin), Southall (Punjabi), Hereford (Welsh), St Pancras and Ashford International (French).

Parking

The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) Act allows a total of 9,000 car parking spaces to be constructed,[11] with an initial 6,000 built. The car parks are in a number of areas around the station - north of the North Kent Line, between the North Kent Line and High Speed 1, south of the High Speed 1 and south west of the station building.

Buses and coaches

The station is served by Fastrack buses operated by Arriva Southern Counties, which connect it to Dartford, Bluewater, Greenhithe, Swanscombe and Gravesend. Despite being in close proximity to the station, Northfleet has no bus connection to the station.[12]

Taxis

There is a taxi rank directly outside the station entrance/exit. Car rental services for both leisure and business are located in the concourse. The interchange facilities lie at either end of the main station box - taxis, buses and set down at the northern end (to also serve the NKL platforms) and coaches to the south of the station box. It was formerly planned that Crossrail would terminate at a separate station between Northfleet and Ebbsfleet International but under the current plan, Abbey Wood further west will be the eastern terminus. However, a Crossrail extension from Abbey Wood to Gravesend (Hoo Junction) remains safeguarded.

Pedestrian access

Northfleet railway station is approximately 400 metres to the north-east, although the walking distance between the two stations is significantly longer, approximately 2 km if roadside footpaths are followed. There is a shorter walking route (approximately 1,000 metres) through the car park to the north of Ebbsfleet station, but there are no footpaths provided and this way is obstructed by the car park access barriers. There are no specific pedestrian or cycle route signs for Ebbsfleet station on any of the possible routes between the stations. Gravesham Council acknowledges that the existing provision is inadequate,[13] although it is a complex planning issue to resolve as whilst Northfleet is in Gravesham, Ebbsfleet station is just over the border in the Borough of Dartford, and there are many other stakeholders involved.

Services
Eurostar services
h:mm
0:00
 London St Pancras
0:14
 Ebbsfleet International[note 1]
0:29
 Ashford International[note 1]
0:31
British portal
Channel Tunnel
UK
France
border
0:51
French portal
0:55
 Calais-Fréthun
1:22
 Lille-Europe
France
Belgium
border
2:01
 Brussels-South
Belgium
Netherlands
border
3:01
 Rotterdam Centraal
3:41
 Amsterdam Centraal
2:16
 Paris-Nord
2:40
 Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy
Seasonal and extended services
4:41
 Lyon-Part-Dieu
5:49
 Avignon TGV
6:27
 Marseille-Saint-Charles  
7:12
 Moûtiers
7:30
Aime-La Plagne
(set down only)
7:51
 Bourg-Saint-Maurice
Fastest timetabled journeys
from London St Pancras
International platform 1

As of the Summer 2014 timetable, there are up to five Eurostar services to Paris on weekdays, four on Saturdays and three on Sundays. Most of these services run non-stop from Ebbsfleet to Paris, though a few also stop at Ashford en route. There are four trains to Brussels on weekdays, three on Saturdays and two on Sundays. All Brussels services call at Lille and some also call at Calais.[15] There is also a single round trip service on most days to Marne-la-Vallée for the Disneyland Paris resort, which also calls at Ashford and Lille (in the France-bound direction only).[16]

It is not permitted to use Eurostar services for domestic journeys in the UK. Since the station's opening, Eurostar has withheld passenger usage statistics for international services, citing commercial confidentiality.

Since the opening of Ebbsfleet station in 2007, Eurostar has transferred a number of trips from Ashford to the newer station. Ashford International has a wider variety of destinations such as Calais, Lille, Brussels, Disneyland Paris, the French Alps, Paris, Lyon, Avignon and Marseille, but with fewer services to them. In contrast, Ebbsfleet International has services to only the core destinations (Paris, Brussels and Lille) and the Disneyland Paris service, but with much more frequent services.

On 29 June 2009 Southeastern started a weekday preview service between St Pancras International and Ebbsfleet International, extending to Ashford International during peak hours.[17] On 7 September the service was enhanced by a few services to Ramsgate via Canterbury West or Dover.[18] A regular service began on 13 December 2009.[19]

The typical off-peak service was:[19]

  • 4 trains per hour to St Pancras International, taking 17 minutes;[19]
  • 2 trains per hour to Faversham;
  • 1 train per hour to Margate via Ashford International and Canterbury West;
  • 1 train per hour to Dover Priory via Ashford International, Folkestone West and Folkestone Central.[19]

Additional trains, in peak hours only, serve Maidstone West, Broadstairs via the Medway towns, and Sandwich.

Since 2 January 2015 the off peak service is:

  • 4 trains per hour to St Pancras International, taking 17 minutes;[19]
  • 2 trains per hour to Faversham with 1 continuing to Ashford via Ramsgate and Dover;
  • 1 train per hour to Margate via Ashford International and Canterbury West;
  • 1 train per hour to Dover Priory via Ashford International, Folkestone Central continuing to Gravesend via Ramsgate and Faversham.[19]

The Eurostar services as of May 2019:

Eurostar services have been suspended since March 31 [20]

Preceding station National Rail Following station
Stratford International   Southeastern
High Speed 1		   Gravesend
    Ashford International
  International services  
London St Pancras
International		   Eurostar
High Speed 1
Temporarily Suspended		   Ashford International
  • Departures (Note: this had the old Eurostar logo)
  • The track towards the Medway Viaduct.
  • Details of the track, looking west, showing descending link from the North Kent Line.
  • Showing the North Kent link line with a 12 car unit on the North Kent Line approaching the junction.

Notes
  1. Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Ebbsfleet and Ashford will not be served by Eurostar trains until 2022.[14]

References
  1. Keith Briggs, The two Ebbsfleets in Kent. Journal of the English Place-Name Society 44, 5–9
  2. "Dame Kelly opens 2012 'gateway'". BBC News. 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  3. "Row over Euro-link station name". BBC News. 29 October 2004. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 7 March 2006.
  4. "£20m bullet trains to serve Olympic Park". Olympic Delivery Authority. 28 October 2004. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  5. "Japanese bullet train on display". BBC News. 2 October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 June 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  6. "Our plans: Getting ready". Olympic Delivery Authority. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  7. Transport Plan for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games – first edition (PDF). Olympic Delivery Authority. p. 64. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  8. Southeastern. "Olympics timetable High Speed". Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  9. Wright, Dan (3 September 2020). "Eurostar trains won't stop in Kent until 2022". Kent Online. Archived from the original on 4 September 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2020.
  10. "Ebbsfleet Intl". RailUK Forums. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  11. "Channel Tunnel Rail Link Act 1996". Archived from the original on 23 December 2010. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  12. "Fastrack A/B Map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 November 2008. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  13. Gravesham Borough Council Report to Joint Transportation Board: Northfleet – Ebbsfleet station pedestrian links. Archived 17 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine,(see pages 65-69)
  14. "At the Stations". Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  15. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Preview Timetable" (PDF). 6 August 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 August 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  18. "High Speed Services to St Pancras International" (PDF). web.archive. org. Southeastern Railways. 7 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2009. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  19. "Southeastern Highspeed: 13 December 2009 timetable" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 December 2009. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
  20. "Eurostar's Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International services still stopped after 3 months". Archived from the original on 18 November 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.

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